Department for Transport

East Coast Rail Franchise

lord adonis: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they received from Stagecoach Group and Virgin Rail Group, or their subsidiaries, prior to the publication of their Command PaperConnecting people: a strategic vision for rail (Cm 9519) on 29 November concerning the East Coast franchise; and whether they will publish those representations, including notes of meetings and conversations between ministers, officials and executives at Stagecoach Group and Virgin Rail Group, or their subsidiaries.

baroness sugg: We regularly meet and work closely with all our franchisees and their owning groups. Stagecoach Group and Virgin Rail Group are no exceptions. We are in discussions with Virgin-Stagecoach to ensure the needs of passengers and taxpayers will be met in the short term whilst laying the foundations to bring forward the reforms in full under a long-term competitively procured contract.

Railways: North of England

lord judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Sugg on 31 October (HL Deb, col 1360) on future railway investment, what steps they intend to take to improve rail services in West Cumbria and on the Newcastle to Carlisle line.

baroness sugg: The following train service improvements will be delivered by December 2019:- More frequent trains will be provided from Carlisle to MetroCentre and Newcastle (2tph), at least 10 of which per day will be high-quality Northern Connect services using fully refurbished trains. Up to six extra services will be provided per day to stations on the Cumbria Coast route between Barrow-in-Furness and Carlisle, with more capacity on the busiest services and the timetable better suited to employees at Sellafield and Whitehaven. Sunday services from Carlisle to Whitehaven will be extended to Barrow-in-Furness and frequency enhanced, providing a Sunday service on the full length of the Cumbria Coast route.

West Coast Railway Line

lord judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Sugg on 31 October (HL Deb, col 1360) on railway investment, what assessment they have made of the cost-effectiveness and impact on reliability of investments in signalling on the West Coast Mainline.

baroness sugg: Network Rail regularly monitors the reliability of its infrastructure, and this monitoring indicates a broad improvement in signalling asset reliability across the West Coast Main Line resulting from the ongoing replacement and modernisation of the infrastructure. Network Rail’s monitoring indicates overall reductions in delays from track circuit, signalling system and power supply failures following resignalling and other measures. The Office of Rail and Road undertakes yearly reviews of Network Rail’s expenditure and efficiency, to help customers, funders and other interested parties gain a better understanding of Network Rail’s financial performance. This is published in the Annual Efficiency and Finance Assessment of Network Rail.

Motor Vehicles: Republic of Ireland

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of vehicles entering the UK mainland from the Republic of Ireland whose eventual destination is elsewhere in the EU.

baroness sugg: There are no statistics held by the Department of Transport regarding the total number of vehicles entering the UK mainland from the Republic of Ireland whose eventual destination is elsewhere in the EU. However, statistics are available showing the number of Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) that travelled from Great Britain to mainland Europe, which were registered in the Republic of Ireland. These figures are given in the table below:   YearHGVs, registered in the Republic of Ireland, travelling from Great Britain to mainland Europe, by port group, 2013 - 2016Dover StraitNorth SeaEnglish ChannelTotal201337,0033,28483541,122201438,5994,26079243,651201535,9845,21064441,838201633,2374,53743338,207

East Coast Rail Franchise

lord adonis: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by the Secretary of State for Transport on 29 November (HC Deb, col 344) that “Stagecoach will meet in full the commitments it made to the Government as part of this contract”, and to the remarks byBaroness Sugg on 29 November (HL Deb, col 688) that “as part of the bidding Stagecoach made a series of financial commitments. It has met them in full to date and the Department for Transport expects it to continue to honour them”, whether those commitments apply to the full period until the end of the existing East Coast franchise contract in 2023; and if not, whether they will clarify their remarks.

baroness sugg: As with all recent franchise awards, Stagecoach Group PLC committed parent company support to inject funds into the franchise in circumstances where it doesn’t perform as predicted. We will hold them to that commitment in full. From 2020 the East Coast Partnership will operate, one of the first of a new generation of integrated regional rail operations. This will include appropriate contributions from the new private partner under a long-term competitively procured contract. We are always looking for the best ways to achieve value for money for the taxpayer and the best results for passengers. Reforms will build on the best of the public and private sectors, with private sector involvement bringing innovation, investment and competition.

East Coast Rail Franchise

lord adonis: To ask Her Majesty's Government what premium payments are due to be paid to them under the existing East Coast franchise, in each year until 2023.

baroness sugg: The current East Coast franchise operated by Virgin Trains East Coast commenced 1st March 2015. An announcement of the expected premium over the duration of the contract was made at franchise award. All premiums due to date under the contract have been paid. Payments by franchised operators are published by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) annually and can be found on their website.

East Coast Rail Franchise

lord adonis: To ask Her Majesty's Government what payments they expect to receive from (1) Virgin Rail Group, and (2) Stagecoach Group, in each year from 2020 to 2023 under the proposed East Coast Partnership; and whether those payments might be lower than those contracted under the existing franchise.

baroness sugg: We have set out our plans to end the operational divide between track and train, and from 2020 the East Coast Partnership will be one of the first of a new generation of integrated regional rail operations. This will be subject to a competitive process, and will include appropriate contributions paid from the private partner to the government.

East Coast Rail Franchise

lord adonis: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Permanent Secretary at the Department for Transport (1) asked for, and (2) was given, a ministerial direction before the Secretary of State announced the end of the current East Coast Franchise on 29 November; and if not, whether they are satisfied that their decision represents value for money and the efficient use of public funds.

baroness sugg: The Permanent Secretary at the Department for Transport did not ask for, and accordingly was not given, a ministerial direction in this case. Assessments of Value for Money and the efficient use of public funds will be made at the appropriate stage in our standard processes. All decisions will be guided by HMG’s “Managing Public Money” guidance in the usual way.

East-West Rail Link: Freight

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what capacity for rail freight is included in the remit for the reopening of East West Rail.

baroness sugg: The East West Rail Western Section programme will retain all existing freight paths allowing continuing access to the FCC Environment waste terminal in the Calvert area. The programme is already protecting future rail freight growth, with Network Rail in the process of completing surveys to determine the level of works required to create additional freight paths. A decision will be taken in early 2018 considering the value for money of the options available.

Railways: Freight

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions (1) ministers, and (2)officials, have had with the Chair of the National Infrastructure Commission regarding rail freight.

baroness sugg: Ministers and officials meet with a range of stakeholders, including the Chair of the National Infrastructure Commission, on a regular basis to discuss a variety of issues. At the Autumn Budget, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced a new National Infrastructure Commission study on the future of freight. The study’s Terms of Reference asks the Commission to consult widely with relevant experts, including the Department for Transport, Network Rail and the rail freight industry. Department for Transport officials have begun engaging with the National Infrastructure Commission on the study and will continue to do so throughout the process.

Lewes-Uckfield Railway Line

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government why the reopening of the Lewes Uckfield rail line wasnot included inthe list of line reopenings contained in the Department for Transport’s document Connecting people: a strategic vision for rail, published on 29 November.

baroness sugg: The Department for Transport’s recently published strategic vision for rail includes some illustrative examples of potential schemes, but it is not an exhaustive list. The publication makes clear that these schemes require further development and any that potential rail line re-openings would need to demonstrate a strong business case where they are seeking Government funding. In the case of Lewes-Uckfield, we have yet to see a sufficiently strong business case.

East Coast Rail Franchise

lord moonie: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatcommunications between the Department for Transport and (1) Stagecoach Group, and (2) Virgin Rail Group, took place prior to the development of the rail strategy announced on 29 November; and whether they will publish those communications in full.

baroness sugg: We regularly meet and work closely with all our franchisees and their owning groups. Stagecoach Group and Virgin Rail Group are no exceptions. We are in discussions with Virgin-Stagecoach to ensure the needs of passengers and taxpayers will be met in the short term whilst laying the foundations to bring forward the reforms, as outlined in the Strategic Vision for Rail, in full under a long-term competitively procured contract.

East Coast Railway Line: Rolling Stock

lord moonie: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether new rolling stock planned for introduction on the East Coast Main Line from 2018 will come into service within the intended timescale.

baroness sugg: The new fleet of Intercity Express Trains will come into service on the East Coast Main Line from end of 2018 and be progressively introduced until 2020. The £2.7bn government-led investment in the trains and depot infrastructure for the East Coast will offer passengers on the route a new level of capacity, comfort and reliability for the next 27.5 years.

Railways: Franchises

lord moonie: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether (1) Virgin Rail Group, and (2) Stagecoach Group, willbe allowed to bid for (a) the new East Coast partnership from 2020, and (b) other rail franchises.

baroness sugg: All passport holders at the time will be offered the opportunity to bid. Like others, Virgin and Stagecoach will need to meet all relevant requirements.

East Coast Rail Franchise

lord moonie: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there any penalty clauses in the event of early termination in the franchise for the East Coast Main Line, which was to have run to 2023.

baroness sugg: The Virgin Trains East Coast Franchise Agreement, like other franchise agreements, includes provisions for contractual termination. The Franchisee’s Guarantor will be required to meet its financial commitments to the tax payer in full, in particular the provision of Parent Company Support, while the Franchisee will be required to meet its commitments including the Performance Bond.

Railways: Alcoholic Drinks

lord moonie: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether theyhave given any consideration to banning the service of free alcoholic drinks on all rail services, in the interests of public health.

baroness sugg: This is a commercial decision for Train Operating Companies. However, a number of train operators run ‘dry trains’ meaning that no alcohol is allowed on board. This normally happens on the advice of British Transport Police when it is known large groups will be travelling, for example to a football match.

East Coast Rail Franchise

lord moonie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what franchise payments have been receivedeach yearfrom (1) Virgin Rail Group, and (2) Stagecoach East Coast Mainline; and what franchise payments were planned in each year until 2023.

baroness sugg: The current East Coast franchise operated by Virgin Trains East Coast commenced 1st March 2015. An announcement of the expected premium over the duration of the contract was made at franchise award. All premiums due to date under the contract have been paid. Payments by franchised operators are published by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) annually and can be found on their website.

Home Office

Asylum

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many asylum claims were made between 1 July 2015 and 31 March 2017; and how many were (1) accepted, (2) rejected, and (3) went to appeal and were overturned.

baroness williams of trafford: The Home Office publishes data on the number of initial decisions for main applications each quarter, by nationality, in table as_01_q of the Immigration Statistics release.The latest figures are available at the following link - please see table attached (asylum 1-jul-sept 2017 tables as_01q) for further information.https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/662525/asylum1-jul-sep-2017-tables.od.ods The Home Office also publishes data on asylum appeals in table as_14_q in the quarterly Immigration Statistics release, found here: (see table as_14_q - below)https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/662529/asylum4-jul-sep-2017-tables.odsTable as_14_q: Asylum appeal applications and determinations, by country of nationalityBack to contentsQuarterGeographical regionCountry of nationalityAppeals receivedTotal appeals determinedAppeals allowedAppeals dismissedAppeals withdrawn2007 Q1*Total*Total3,1863,2226922,3621682007 Q2*Total*Total3,1963,3287672,3901712007 Q3*Total*Total2,9433,3587372,4751462007 Q4*Total*Total2,2482,4875881,7971022008 Q1*Total*Total1,8762,0444111,5271062008 Q2*Total*Total2,2781,9103641,466802008 Q3*Total*Total2,8442,5086111,805922008 Q4*Total*Total2,7142,7477381,8571522009 Q1*Total*Total2,2502,3296081,626952009 Q2*Total*Total2,9862,5056711,752822009 Q3*Total*Total4,6993,8831,2002,5371462009 Q4*Total*Total4,4054,0961,2332,7121512010 Q1*Total*Total3,7504,1211,1632,7971612010 Q2*Total*Total3,7063,9321,0822,7001502010 Q3*Total*Total3,2633,6289792,4861632010 Q4*Total*Total3,2093,0428052,0781592011 Q1*Total*Total2,8803,0578372,0911292011 Q2*Total*Total2,6392,8127411,8402312011 Q3*Total*Total2,3172,6546581,8221742011 Q4*Total*Total2,1502,0745431,3861452012 Q1*Total*Total2,2782,2306141,4721442012 Q2*Total*Total1,9882,1726091,4521112012 Q3*Total*Total1,9242,0155221,3271662012 Q4*Total*Total2,0071,8684631,2211842013 Q1*Total*Total2,3321,9304811,3081412013 Q2*Total*Total2,4912,3115861,5551702013 Q3*Total*Total2,2082,2745601,5711432013 Q4*Total*Total1,4881,8104511,2471122014 Q1*Total*Total1,3611,5354471,018702014 Q2*Total*Total1,5801,4963761,036842014 Q3*Total*Total2,1771,426426921792014 Q4*Total*Total3,1231,7215091,1061062015 Q1*Total*Total4,2782,2836591,5201042015 Q2*Total*Total3,5762,3397521,4571302015 Q3*Total*Total3,1082,5769721,4781262015 Q4*Total*Total3,2802,0268771,056932016 Q1*Total*Total3,0152,0108491,0581032016 Q2*Total*Total3,1442,9671,3681,4841152016 Q3*Total*Total3,1413,4091,3841,9221032016 Q4*Total*Total3,0334,1951,4502,4502952017 Q1*Total*Total2,5905,2051,8063,1112882017 Q2*Total*Total2,4183,4551,1752,1431372017 Q3*Total*Total2,6592,8501,0501,690110 



table as_01_q - 
(Excel SpreadSheet, 2.18 MB)




 table as_14_q
(Excel SpreadSheet, 761.3 KB)

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Hinkley Point C Power Station

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the reply byLord Henley on 4 December (HL Deb, col 850), what steps they intend to take to manage the risk of high electricity costs arising from the Hinkley Point C plant, particularly with regard to (1) poor people, and (2) commercial users.

lord henley: The strike price for Hinkley Point C (HPC) is fixed at £92.50 (2012 prices, rising with CPI inflation) for each megawatt hour (MWh) generated over the first 35 years of operation. The strike price is made up of a combination of wholesale market prices and a levy on consumer energy bills and ensures that consumers will pay no more than this for electricity from HPC during the contract period. When wholesale prices rise above the strike price the developer will need to repay the difference. When shared across consumers (households and businesses), payments under the Contract for Difference will amount to around £12 of the average household bill over 2026 – 2030 (based on 2012 prices). This Government is committed to tackling fuel poverty. In line with our commitment to upgrade fuel poor homes to band C by 2030 we are taking action to support households in fuel poverty. The Warm Home Discount provides over 2 million low income and vulnerable households each year with a £140 rebate on their energy bills, including this winter. Since April, 70% of the £640m per year Energy Company Obligation has been focused on low income households through the Affordable Warmth part of the scheme. It will upgrade the energy efficiency of over 300,000 homes per year, tackling the root cause of fuel poverty. We are also safeguarding the competitiveness of those energy intensive industries particularly exposed to the additional costs arising from the Contract for Difference by exempting them from a proportion of these costs. An exemption scheme allows for real-time changes in energy use to be taken into account and provides certainty to business.

Nuclear Reactors

lord truscott: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatrole they see for small modular reactors in the UK’s future energy mix.

lord henley: Nuclear power currently meets c. 20% of the UK electricity demand and is an important part of the UK’s energy mix. Government has made clear its commitment that new nuclear power stations should have a role to play in this country’s future energy mix, alongside other low-carbon sources. My hon. Friend the Under Secretary of State for Energy and Industry announced at the Nuclear Industry Association conference on 7th December that up to £56m is being made available over the next 3 years for advanced nuclear technologies. This will include up to £44m R&D funding for developing advanced reactors and £12m to regulators to build the capability and capacity to assess and license new designs.

Tesco: Booker Group

lord vinson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the provisional finding by the Competition and Markets Authority that the anticipated acquisition by Tesco plc of Booker Group plc "may not be expected to result in a substantial lessening of competition".

lord henley: Competition investigations into mergers are a matter for the independent Competition and Markets Authority.

Construction: Vacancies

lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the survey conducted by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, published in September, which stated that more than half of construction workers deem labour shortages to be a serious challenge.

lord henley: The Government does take the issues around the supply of workers to the construction sector very seriously. We are working with industry - through the Construction Sector Deal - to deliver a step change in the productivity of the sector over the coming years, in particular, by increasing the use of digital and offsite manufacturing technologies. This will create new jobs and new skills requirements.As part of the Sector Deal, we are committed to working with industry to implement the recent review of the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) and Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB). This will strengthen their governance, accountability and efficiency to better deliver critical skills needs across construction and related engineering industries. A £34m fund for construction skills was announced in the Budget, as part of the National Retraining Scheme. The fund will help to build construction training facilities attached to housing developments, and will support adult students to retrain as construction workers.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

USA: Foreign Relations

the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the number of unfilled posts in the US State Department on relations between the UK and US governments.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: It is not for Her Majesty's Government to comment on US State Department staffing arrangements.

Central Asia: EU External Relations

viscount waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether (1) the UK Ambassador to the Republic of Uzbekistan, and (2) any other member of Embassy staff, attended meetings of the 13th EU–Central Asia Ministerial Meeting in Samarkand in November; and if so, what was the outcome of those meetings.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Ministerial meeting was held between the Foreign Ministers of the countries of Central Asia and the EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, who represented EU member states. As with other EU Member States, the UK was not represented directly. They committed to adopting a new EU-Central Asia strategy and regular EU-Central Asia summits in a Joint Communiqué issued after the meeting. Ms Mogherini commended the Foreign Ministers' commitment to reform and to working together in regional coordination and co-operation with the EU.

Uzbekistan: Taxation

viscount waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have received a requestfrom the government of Uzbekistan to support Uzbekistan’seconomic policy by contributing to a tax reform programme through an appropriate professional development programme; if so, what was their response; and from which source of funding such support would be met.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: No such request has been received.

Northern Ireland Office

Terrorism: Northern Ireland

lord hay of ballyore: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the security situation in Northern Ireland.

lord duncan of springbank: I refer to the most recent statement on the Security Situation in Northern Ireland, laid in the House on 23 October 2017. The threat from Northern Ireland-related terrorism continues to be SEVERE in Northern Ireland, meaning an attack is highly likely. This Government’s focus is on keeping people safe - we will ensure terrorism never succeeds.

Department for Education

Agriculture: Qualifications

baroness byford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking, if any, to (1) devise, and (2) introduce, a qualification in agriculture at (a) GCSE, and (b) A-Level.

lord agnew of oulton: The government has introduced a number of recent changes to GCSEs and A levels in England that will affect schools in the coming years. We know that extensive changes need time to settle in to schools, and that school leaders will want stability to bring in the new qualifications. Therefore, at the present time, there are no plans to introduce any further GCSEs or A levels beyond those to which the government has already committed. There are vocational qualifications currently available in this subject, such as City & Guilds Level 2 Technical Certificate in Agriculture and IMI Level 3 Extended Diploma in Land-based Engineering Technology (VRQ). As part of our reforms to technical education, we are establishing a common framework of 15 technical education routes that encompass all employment-based and college-based training. The Agriculture, Environment and Animal Care route will be rolled out in September 2022.

Foster Care: Greater London

lord laming: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to take any action to reduce the number of children in the care of local authorities in London being placed in foster homes in Kent; and if so, what.

lord agnew of oulton: The government is clear that the needs of the child are paramount when making decisions about the right care placement. Local councils have a statutory duty to consider the right placement for each child and take into account a number of factors, one of which is placement area. Sometimes circumstances make it the right decision for a local council to identify a placement outside of the child’s local area, for example when a child is at risk from child sexual exploitation, trafficking or gang violence or when they need very specialist care. Out of area placements require approval from the Director of Children’s Services, and Ofsted will challenge local councils where they believe poor out of area placements are being made. The National Fostering Stocktake is underway. It is a comprehensive review of fostering in England. It will help us better understand the current provision and challenges in the system. It is looking at a wide range of issues including commissioning of placements and the recruitment, retention and matching of foster carers. The reviewers will report to ministers with recommendations at the end of the year.

Schools

lord murphy of torfaen: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect to publish their response to the submissions received throughtheir consultation,Schools that work for everyone.

lord agnew of oulton: The department plans to respond on the consultation, ‘Schools that work for everyone’, in due course.

Home Education

lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of thefinancial saving to the public purse of children and young people being home educated.

lord agnew of oulton: There is no data collected centrally for the number of children who are educated at home. There is also no data for the relevant funding formula factors such as the children’s age, location and special educational needs. Therefore, there has been no estimate of the financial savings for children who are home educated.

Schools: Admissions

lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government why the same school admission criteria for children adopted in the UK do not apply to those adopted from overseas.

lord agnew of oulton: School admission authorities have been required to give looked after children – those who are in the care of a local council in England - highest priority in their admission arrangements since 2007.In 2012, this priority was extended to previously looked after children – those who have been looked after but ceased to be so because they were adopted or became subject to a child arrangements order or special guardianship order. Our intention was to ensure that all children who receive highest priority whilst in care of the local council continue to receive that priority once they have left care.We have now also decided that when the opportunity arises, we intend to make further changes to the School Admissions Code. These changes will ensure that children who were previously in care outside of England also receive highest priority for admission into a school in England.Any changes to the School Admissions Code will require a full statutory process, including consultation and parliamentary scrutiny.However, until we are able to make the relevant changes to the Code, we have written to admission authorities encouraging them to use their current flexibilities in setting their own admission arrangements, to give these children second highest admissions priority in their oversubscription criteria.

Out-of-school Education: Teachers

lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether teachers with qualified teacher status (1) can, or (2) will, lose that status if they teach in an unregistered school.

lord agnew of oulton: There is no mechanism for the removal of qualified teacher status (QTS) on any grounds. QTS is awarded following an individual successfully meeting the requirements of the Teaching Standards and this recognition does not change even when a teacher is prohibited from the profession by the National College for Teaching and Leadership.

Social Services: Children

baroness whitaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government what education and training on the culture of Gypsy, Traveller and Roma communities is provided to social workers who assess children for care or adoption.

lord agnew of oulton: The Chief Social Worker’s statement of knowledge and skills, published in November 2014, sets out our expectation of what all child and family social workers need to know and be able to do, to practice effectively. A separate knowledge and skills statement for achieving permanence, published in November 2016, explains how social workers should make long-term plans for children who are looked after or may become looked-after children.Following registration, employers of social workers are responsible for determining the support and training they make available to social workers to meet the social care needs of children.

Ministry of Defence

Yemen: Armed Conflict

the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government of how many reports of alleged violations of international humanitarian law by actors in the conflict in the Yemen they are aware; how many credible allegations of such violations are currently being investigated; and what criteria are used to assess whether an allegation is credible.

earl howe: As at 5 December 2017 the number of allegations of international humanitarian law (IHL) violations by the Saudi-led Coalition in Yemen of which the Ministry of Defence (MOD) was aware was 318. Of these, 13 were duplicate allegations. This means that some incidents have been recorded by the MOD on more than one occasion, likely as a result of the sometimes incomplete nature of reporting by Non-Governmental Organisations and the media, upon which the MOD relies as important information sources for alleged IHL violations. The MOD does not track and assess allegations of IHL violations caused by other actors, notably the Houthis and their allies, in the Yemen conflict.The MOD does not investigate allegations of IHL violations. The Saudi-led Coalition is best placed to do this, and does so through its Joint Incident Assessment Team. Neither the MOD nor the Foreign and Commonwealth Office reaches a conclusion as to whether or not an IHL violation has taken place in relation to each and every incident of potential concern that comes to its attention. This is not possible in conflicts to which the UK is not a party, as is the case in Yemen. We simply do not have access to all the information that would allow us to reach conclusions accurately. The MOD assessments are used to form an overall view on Saudi Arabia's approach and attitude to international humanitarian law.The MOD is made aware of alleged IHL violations by monitoring media and NGO reporting, and by other parties bringing IHL allegations to its attention. All such allegations are subsequently assessed by the MOD.

Syria: Military Aid

the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the contribution of British troops participating in the Train and Equip programme for moderate Syrian opposition troops to the stability of Syria.

earl howe: No assessment has been made of the UK's participation in the US-led Train and Equip Programme. However, it is clear that with Coalition support (including RAF airstrikes on Daesh targets) local partner forces on the ground have made excellent progress in the campaign against Daesh, liberating towns and cities from their control. Similarly, in Iraq, as a direct result of UK participation in the training of over 60,000 Iraqi Security Forces, including the Kurdish Peshmerga, those forces have increased their capabilities enormously. Daesh has consequently lost more than 96 per cent of the territory they once held across Iraq and Syria.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Trees: Ivy

lord framlingham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to make (1) environmental organisations, and (2) tree and woodland owners, aware of the need to remove ivy to protect the crowns of trees.

lord gardiner of kimble: The Forestry Commission has found that while ivy may be a contributory factor in the death of some declining trees, their investigations suggest this is more to do with exacerbating problems in already weakened or diseased trees than actually killing healthy ones. The majority of healthy tree species are able to tolerate the presence of ivy and there is no strong scientific evidence to suggest that ivy is harmful to trees in general. The removal of ivy is a decision for individual landowners and managers and we do not promote or encourage the removal of ivy which can itself provide valuable habitat for wildlife.

Fisheries: Protection

lord lisvane: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Gardiner of Kimble on 15 November (HL3019) regarding the ongoing assessment of the UK's sea-based patrol capability, what assumptions have been made in relation to the total sea area that will need to be patrolled.

lord gardiner of kimble: The responsibility for patrolling the UK’s Exclusive Economic Area (which is just under 300,000 square miles) is shared between a number of Departments, Agencies and Authorities who have different roles. In relation to fisheries, it is also a devolved matter. In England, the Marine Management Organisation and the Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities have a good understanding of the areas where fishing activity takes place and this is kept under regular review.

Food: Waste

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the decision of the East of England Co-op to sell food after the best-before date, in order to help reduce food waste; and whether they intend to encourage other supermarket chains to do the same.

lord gardiner of kimble: Selling food beyond its best before date is not a food safety issue. The Government encourages all food businesses, large and small, to use the updated Waste & Resources Action Programme guidance to help them put the right date mark on food and help to guide people on the refrigeration and freezing of products which are crucial to reducing the amount of edible food thrown away.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Housing Improvement

lord dubs: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 7 November (HL2748), when they will publish the results of their review of planning law in relation to basement developments; and what action they propose to take.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: We are grateful to those who have contributed to the Basements Planning Review by responding to the Call for Evidence. We intend to publish a summary of the responses shortly.

HM Treasury

Soft Drinks: Taxation

baroness benjamin: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to use any of the revenue from the Soft Drinks Industry Levy to fund preventative oral health programmes.

lord bates: The government has already confirmed that, in England, we will invest the revenue during this parliament on giving school-aged children a better and healthier future, including programmes to reduce obesity and encourage physical activity and balanced diets. Improving children’s oral health is a priority for this government. Public Health England is leading a wide ranging multi-agency programme focused on improving children’s oral health, and NHS England’s Starting Well programme will run in thirteen high needs areas to improve access to dental services for children known to be at greater risk of dental disease and who are not currently being seen by a dentist.The Department of Health and NHS England are also testing a new NHS dental contract which supports the longer term aim for all care to have a preventative focus.

Individual Savings Accounts

baroness altmann: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the number of people aged (1) 50–59, (2) 60–69, (3) 70–79, (4) 80–89, and (5) 90 or over, who own ISAs; and for each age group, what is the average holding.

baroness altmann: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the number of people aged over 65 who own ISAs; and what is the average value of their holdings.

lord bates: The number of people over 65 who own ISAs and their average value is set out in the table below.Numbers: thousandsAgeNumber of ISA holdersAverage ISA Market Values65 and over6,353£38,859 This information is taken from HMRC Individual Savings Account (ISA) statistics which is available on Gov.uk  The number of people who hold ISA in the age bands (1) 50–59, (2) 60–69, (3) 70–79, (4) 80–89, and (5) 90 or over, who own ISAs; and the average holding is set out in the table below.  ISA HoldersNumbers: thousands   AgeTotal Number of ISA holdersAverage ISA Market Values 50-594,052£22,406 60-694,017£34,409 70-792,670£39,484 80-891,362£40,373 90 and over256£40,097 Total121,575£22,387Footnotes1 Total is for all ages, including those not shown in the table.

Non-domestic Rates

lord beecham: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to protect local authorities from the loss of business rate income that has been identified as a consequence of bringing forward CPI uprating in the 2017 Autumn Budget policy costings.

lord bates: I refer the Noble Lord to my answer of 7 December to PQ HL 3516.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Brexit

baroness hayter of kentish town: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessmentthey havemade of the merits of maintaining regulatory alignment with theEU following the UK’s withdrawal and any time-limited transitional period.

lord callanan: We are fully focused on making the UK’s exit from the EU, and our new trading relationship with the world, a success. We have set out proposals for an ambitious future trade and customs relationship with the EU, in which we will look to minimise the regulatory barriers for both goods and services between the UK and the EU. The Government has been undertaking rigorous and extensive analysis work to support our exit negotiations, as any responsible Government should, in order to inform our understanding of how EU exit will affect the UK’s domestic policies and frameworks. We have been engaging with businesses and industry bodies from all sectors of the economy and all regions of the UK as part of this process, and we will continue to do so as we move forward.

Brexit

baroness hayter of kentish town: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to maintain protections derived from EU regulations relating to social, consumer and employment rights, and environmental protections, following the UK's withdrawal from the EU.

lord callanan: The European Union (Withdrawal) Bill aims to maximise certainty for individuals and businesses about their legal rights and obligations as we leave the EU in order to provide the basis for a smooth and orderly exit. The Bill will ensure that the laws and rules that we have now will, so far as possible, continue to apply. The Bill will convert directly applicable EU law into domestic law. It will also preserve laws we have made in the UK to implement our EU obligations. In particular, the UK has a long history of protecting human rights, which is unaffected by our withdrawal from the EU, and a strong history of protecting consumer rights. This Government has also made a clear commitment to protect workers’ rights, and ensure that they keep pace with the changing labour market. In recent weeks we have published a memorandum setting out where the rights in every article of the Charter of Fundamental Rights will continue to be protected in domestic law after exit, and we have set out how we intends to use the powers under clause 7 of the Bill to make amendments to employment legislation. The UK has a long history of environmental protection which we will safeguard and improve as we leave the EU. We will then have the opportunity, over time to design a set of policies to drive environmental improvement with a powerful and permanent impact, tailored to the needs of our country. In particular, we are setting out plans to consult on a new, independent body to regulate environment policy and hold government to account on environmental commitments once we’ve left the European Union.

Department of Health

Mental Health Services: Schools

lord boateng: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on mental health workforce requirements of their proposals for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services in schools.

lord o'shaughnessy: The proposals set out in Transforming Children and Young People’s Mental Health Provision: a Green Paper, published on 4 December 2017, do not make new requirements on schools - it will be up to schools to decide whether to put a Designated Senior Lead in place (around half already have one and see the benefits it brings). For those schools which decide to put Designated Leads in place, we will provide training for them. A copy of the Green Paper is attached. For the Mental Health Support Teams, the proposals suggest that a new workforce of child wellbeing practitioners will be recruited and trained, with supervision from National Health Service specialist children and young people’s mental health services. The impact assessment, published alongside the Green Paper, includes initial estimates of workforce requirements. A copy of the impact assessment is attached. We have committed to make available funding to start a programme of trailblazers over the next three financial years from 2018/19 and we will test and evaluate different models for the Support Teams, including looking at workforce implications. We will also carefully consider responses to the public consultation to inform our design of the trailblazers. 



Green Paper
(PDF Document, 1.14 MB)




Impact Assessment
(PDF Document, 405.91 KB)

Mental Health Services: Schools

lord boateng: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on schools budgets and those of NHS Trusts and commissioning bodies of their proposals forChild and Adolescent Mental Health Services in schools.

lord o'shaughnessy: The proposals set out in Transforming Children and Young People’s Mental Health Provision: a Green Paper, published on 4 December 2017, do not make new requirements on schools and their budgets - it will be up to schools to decide whether to put a Designated Senior Lead in place (around half already have one and see the benefits it brings). For those schools which decide to put Designated Leads in place, we will provide training and up to £15-20 million each year from 2019 to cover costs of a significant training programme. A copy of the Green Paper is attached. For the Mental Health Support Teams, the proposals suggest that a new workforce of child wellbeing practitioners will be recruited and trained, with supervision from National Health Service specialist children and young people’s mental health services. The impact assessment, published alongside the Green Paper, includes initial estimates of workforce requirements. A copy of the impact assessment is attached. We have committed to make available funding to start a programme of trailblazers over the next three financial years from 2018/19 and we will test and evaluate different models for the Support Teams, including looking at workforce implications. We will also carefully consider responses to the public consultation to inform our design of the trailblazers.



Green Paper
(PDF Document, 1.14 MB)




Impact Assessment
(PDF Document, 405.91 KB)

Motor Neurone Disease: Drugs

lord steel of aikwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the comments by Doddie Weir, reported on 1 December, concerning his frustration that there have been no new drugs to treat motor neurone disease developed in the last 22 years; and what steps they are taking to promote research into such treatments.

lord o'shaughnessy: There are currently no new drugs under assessment for a marketing authorisation to treat Motor Neurone Disease (MND). The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has approved 16 trials in the last five years in the indication of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Three of these trials remain active, the remainder have completed or ended early. The Department funds research mainly through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). The Medical Research Council (MRC), a research funding body which receives its grant in aid from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, also funds medical research. The usual practice of the NIHR and of the MRC is not to ring-fence funds for expenditure on particular topics: research proposals in all areas compete for the funding available. The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including MND. The NIHR Clinical Research Network (CRN) is currently recruiting patients to 24 trials and studies in MND. The NIHR Clinical Research Network is developing and nurturing relationships with industry, so that the United Kingdom remains attractive as a site for the innovative therapies. The MRC currently spends approximately £5.3 million per year on research relating to MND. The MRC, as part of the Network of Centres of Excellence in Neurodegeneration, has recently made available up to £1 million to support research in the UK. The current ‘Pathfinder call’ aims to stimulate new and unconventional approaches and creative solutions to the challenges of neurodegeneration research by undertaking high-risk/high-payoff research and is open to researchers who are involved in MND research.

Health Services: Homelessness

lord bird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, following recent comments by the Chief Executive and General Secretary of the Royal College of Nurses, Janet Davies, what steps they are taking to (1)encourage people without a fixed address to register with a GP'ssurgery,(2)prevent homelesspeoplebeing discharged from mental health hospitals back onto the streets, and (3)invest in specialist mental health care for homeless people.

lord o'shaughnessy: NHS England has published guidance for general practices and patients to ensure that homeless patients are still able to access primary care services People who are Homeless How to Register with a doctor (GP). A copy is attached. In addition, NHS England has issued online only guidance to general practices to clarify that proof of identity or address is not required to register with a general practitioner.The decision to discharge someone from a mental health hospital should be a clinical decision made by multi-disciplinary teams. Mental health providers and commissioners should work with local services, including social care, to ensure there is an appropriate package of care in place to support discharge. The government has committed to a range of actions to reduce rough sleeping, including investing £28 million of funding to pilot the Housing First approach for entrenched rough sleepers in the West Midlands Combined Authority, Greater Manchester, and the Liverpool City Region.The Department for Communities and Local Government is working closely with the Department of Health on how to improve access to mental health services for rough sleepers, or those at risk of homelessness in England. The Government is also supporting 84 projects, some specifically funding mental health interventions, across 205 district and unitary local authorities in England, through its £50 million Homelessness Prevention Programme offering tailored support services for people who need them and rapid support for people to make a sustainable recovery from homelessness.



How to register with a doctor
(PDF Document, 758 KB)

European Medicines Agency

baroness masham of ilton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the UK will continue to be involved in both clinical trials and the development of new medicines by the EuropeanMedicines Agencyfollowing its re-location to the Netherlands.

baroness masham of ilton: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they intend to ensure that there will be no delay in accessing new therapies following the re-location of the European MedicinesAgency to the Netherlands.

baroness masham of ilton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on the safety of clinical trials and new medicines of the European Medicines Agency's re-location to the Netherlands.

lord o'shaughnessy: We recognise the important role that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) plays in the protection of human health. In the negotiations, the Government will discuss with the European Union and Member States how best to continue cooperation in the field of clinical trials and medicines regulation in the best interests of both the United Kingdom and the EU. The Prime Minister has made clear that a key priority through the negotiations will be to ensure that the UK remains one of the best places in the world for science and innovation. Regardless of the outcome of those negotiations the UK is committed to offering a competitive service for clinical trial assessment. Following the EMA's relocation to the Netherlands our aim is to ensure that patients in the UK and across the EU continue to be able to access the best and most innovative medicines and be assured that their safety is protected through the strongest regulatory framework and sharing of data.

Mental Health Act 1983 Independent Review

lord ramsbotham: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the independent review of mental health legislation will review those sections of the Mental Health Act 1983 that apply to (1) prisoners, and (2) those charged with offences.

lord o'shaughnessy: The terms of reference of the Independent Review of the Mental Health Act ask the review to identify issues across the breadth of the Act and associated practice, including those elements relating to prisoners and those charged with offences. In particular, the terms of reference highlight stakeholder concerns about ‘the time required to take decisions and arrange transfers for patients subject to criminal proceedings’.

Secure Psychiatric Units

lord ramsbotham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the current provision of medium and low secure beds in England; and what percentage of those beds are occupied.

lord o'shaughnessy: Since April 2013 NHS England has been responsible for commissioning all secure inpatient mental health care services nationally. The current number of beds in medium secure services in England is 3,188 and 3,348 in low secure. The data is provided by NHS England and is taken from the Mental Health Service Review Programme based on 2015/16 contracts. The percentage of beds occupied will vary, depending on when the information is collected. However, where beds are contracted with an occupancy threshold, this is usually between 93% and 96% across the various contracts held by NHS England for these services. The information provided refers to adult medium and low secure beds.

Secure Psychiatric Units

lord ramsbotham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made with plans to collect and report the length of stays in secure inpatient care.

lord o'shaughnessy: NHS England is currently carrying out a review of the information collected in relation to all mental health services. This review will include the collection and reporting of data on the length of stays in secure inpatient care.It is expected that information on the length of stays will be reported by NHS England going forward.

Social Services: Learning Disability

baroness walmsley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to hold a consultation exercise on social care provision for adults of working age, with a particular focus on those with learning disabilities; and if so, what are the details of the work streams and timetable.

lord o'shaughnessy: The Government recognises the challenges faced by people of working age with care needs. We are committed to ensuring that people with disabilities and complex conditions can live healthy, independent lives, and participate fully in society.The Government has committed to publishing a Green Paper, by summer 2018, setting out proposals for reform of adult social care. This Green Paper will focus on care for older people, but many of the issues and questions about the sustainability of the care system will be relevant to adults of all ages. Once the Green Paper is published, it will be subject to a full public consultation.To ensure that issues specific to working-age adults with care needs are considered in their own right, the Government will take forward a parallel programme of work which is being led jointly by the Department of Health and the Department for Communities and Local Government, which will focus on this group. This work will also be overseen by the Inter-Ministerial Group to ensure alignment with the Green Paper.As part of our initial engagement, a round table meeting with key stakeholders on issues facing working age adults with care needs is expected to take place in the new year. It would be jointly chaired by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Care and Mental Health (Jackie Doyle-Price) and the Minister for Local Government (Marcus Jones).